Primum Non Nocere
by Nitrospira
Summary: If there is one thing that strikes fear into the heart of Dr. Cox it's the possibility of having affection towards another human being. Even more so if said human is also his intern. Cox X OC AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Primum Non Noceri**

_If there is one thing that strikes fear into the heart of Dr. Cox it's the possibility of having affection towards another human being. Even more so if said human is also his intern. Cox X OC AU._

* * *

_"Primum Non Noceri."/ "First do no harm"_

_- Fundamental principle of medicine_

_She wasn't his problem._

He told himself that over and over, but the words refused to stick. In fact, he realized with frustration that chanting those words was just making the situation worse. The bespeckled brunette remained entrenched in his mind, no matter how much he wished her away.

_She's not my intern, _he restated. _I don't have to see her ever again if I don't want to. _

But he _did. _And therein lied his problem: no matter how much time he spent pacing in his office, he would eventually gravitate back to her. And for _what?_ To verify a pointless crush? To feel a meaningful connection with a person that just _happened_ to be female?

Perry shuddered at the thought. He'd been in love… if you could call that special kind of hateful chemistry _love_. Marriage didn't suit him, but he'd learned to cope with divorce just fine. There was just no point in ruining the hard-won equilibrium that his life had achieved.

But that day in the locker room. The chance conversations in the halls. The relentless, yet kind brown eyes that were reddened by tears during a night shift he wasn't going to forget anytime soon. She was a refreshing break from the unhinged dominatrixes he was used to dealing with, while still complementing his own less-than-gentlemanly demeanor.

But because of that, he'd cultivated a weed over the past few months. Or had it been longer?

He furrowed his brows and tried to pinpoint the exact timing of his downfall.

"_Excuse me, Doctor Cox, but could you look at my central line placement? I want to make sure it's right."_

_He turned around gruffly, clipboard in hand, and replied, "Isn't Dr. Suarez in charge of your ward?"_

"_Yes, but he's not around." She retorted, coughing into her hand before more politely insisting, "I would really appreciate it. I know it's not your patient but – "_

"_Where is he?" he interrupted before following her down the hall._

Is that _honestly _how it started? It was a lackluster conversation at best… he hadn't even bothered to glance at the ID card strapped to her scrub pants that said her name was Gwen.

Revitalized by how unimpressive their first encounter was, he pushed open the door of his office and entered reality again after a long exhale.

"Not my problem," he repeated one more time, under his breath, as the corner of his eye spotted a familiar outline.

"Doctor Cox," greeted Carla, matching his gait as they walked down the hall. "Where were you hiding all this time? We're going to need you to cover for Dr. Suarez. He was in a car accident and is gonna be out for a couple days."

The white-coated man froze, much to the surprise of the nurse.

"Are you alright?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes at him. The weight of her suspicion made his snap out from his momentary lapse.

He nodded, of course, but he could sense that things were about to go wrong.

"Alright newbies, come with me and I'll try to mitigate whatever damage you cause while trying to 'help' these poor souls out." He announced as he entered the ward. He didn't see her for a while, and his heart jumped at the prospect that she may have transferred or somehow displaced herself from the universe. But then he saw her on a stool, sitting by window, just as she turned herself around to face him.

It was as the light seemed to hit her _just _right that he realized he'd miscalculated.

Things were about to go _terribly _wrong.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Just started to follow Scrubs and adored Dr. Cox off the bat. I just wanted to test how people like this sort of angle, so please R&R if you get a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

Maybe he'd been wrong.

And while a doctor as wondrously arrogant as Dr. Cox would argue that such a thing was a _rare _event, he couldn't have been happier that his predictions had misfired. His intern – no, not _his _intern, just _an _intern - had failed to get in so much as a word with him that entire day.

She didn't press him as usual. In fact, Gwen just stared at him confusedly the first time he overtly blocked her attempt at a conversation, and had all but rolled over and given up after that.

Perry Cox wasn't one to lie to himself, but he tried not to pay attention to the bout of disappointment her unequivocal surrender had brought him. Maybe he wasn't just wrong about today, but about the entire situation. Had he just _sorta _liked her because of that fire and wit he'd happened to catch a glimpse of?

He didn't know. And, as he swiped himself out for the night, he didn't particularly care. As long as he could finally put her out of his mind, it was all –

Mid-step, he froze. Just as the warm, outdoor air wafted against skin that'd been cooled all day by the arctic winds of the hospital, he saw her. Rummaging worriedly through a gray messenger bag, with a bagel from the cafeteria clutched between her teeth.

"What are you still doing here, newbie?" he asked, causing her to look up and unintentionally drop her bagel as she went to reply.

"Aw, damn." She muttered, looking at the snack mournfully before her eyes snapped back to Dr. Cox. "I was just trying to keep Mr. Friedman around until his family could see him."

"How did that go?"

Her eyes darkened. With a shake of her head, she replied, "He didn't make it."

"Of course he didn't." he shot back, ignoring the abject horror on her face. "He wasn't going to, and a few minutes with long lost relatives wasn't going to do him any good. Little bit of advice," he began sharply, stepping closer. "If you want to make a real difference in this place, try saving your energy for things that actually matter."

Having made his point, he began to walk away.

"Saying goodbye matters." She all but shouted after him. And as much as he shouldn't have, he made the mistake of stopping and looking her in the eyes.

"I haven't lost many loved ones because I don't even _have _many to start with." She started. "But I remember being a kid and coming home one day from school to find out my dad had put down Sweetpea…" she blinked several times, reigning in her emotions, before continuing.

"That was only a dog, Dr. Cox," she told him, her voice developing a very dangerous edge. "And I still feel that pain to this day. I might have not made a damn bit of difference today, but I know how important saying goodbye is to the healthy people that have to walk out of this hospital with death on their minds."

Silence. It wasn't the sort of thing that usually followed when _anyone_ stood up against a man half as verbally belligerent as him. But it fell heavy on both of them, interrupted only when she began sifting through her bag again.

"Watch yourself, dear." He remarked, placing his hands into the pockets of his coat. "Or I might just ask you out to dinner."

Now it was her turn to freeze. And silently thank Dr. Kelso for the dim outdoor lighting that hid the bright red of her cheeks. He'd made similar jokes before, just as many of the older doctors did. But unlike the others, she always blushed when it was him.

"Sorry, it's just you've obviously been shutting me down all day and I'm not one to beg for a conversation." She explained. "I didn't mean to be rude, Dr. Cox."

"Ah, you see, now you're suddenly _way _less attractive." He sighed. "Making it much harder to feign an interest in why you're still fidgeting with that tacky bag instead of driving home."

He watched as the corner of her mouth rose at his brand of flirtation, then dropped as she recalled the reason she was there.

"My car's in the shop, all the other interns left hours ago, and while it's only a few miles away I'm not keen on walking all that way at this hour. I have enough cab money to get at least partway there." She told him, revealing a small stack of singles on her palm.

_Don't do it, Perry, _his better judgment warned. But he imagined her, wearing those ill-fitting scrub bottoms that did little to hide her curvaceous body, walking down those shady streets, her large, brown eyes filled with fear beneath the lenses of her glasses…

_It's a trap, Per, don't do it. _

It probably was. But what the hell did he have to lose at this point?

"Dr. Gwen Tracy," He began, swallowing hard before he proceeded to ask, "Would you like a ride home?"

She held his gaze like a fly caught in honey.

"You sure?"

"Absolutely not." answered Dr. Cox, walking the short distance across the driveway to his car. "But get in before I change my mind."

She thanked him profusely, and the directions were fairly close. To his relief, she was also a quiet passenger, her eyes fluttering open and closed as she tried to evade sleep, and the darkness of his vehicle wasn't encouraging any sort of foul play. He was proud of himself for that.

_Maybe this could actually work…_

"Is this a Beatles CD?"

He nearly jumped at the sound of her voice, but she was too busy smiling at her find to notice.

"I'm a fan myself. Mind if I pop it in?" she wondered.

"We're nearly there, but go ahead."

And that's when Perry realized that allowing John Lennon to invade the airspace of the car was just about the most calamitous decision he had made that entire night.

He knew it the moment that the eerie instrumental began to play, or, more precisely, when he noticed her bite her lower lip and shut her eyes.

"_Let me take you down, cos I'm going to _

_Strawberry Fields._

_Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about."_

He parked at her apartment complex, the slight jostle of the car prompting her eyes to open again.

But she didn't say anything. Only watched him as the song continued to play.

"_Living is easy with eyes closed – "_

He thought of many clever ways to end their encounter, but ended up using choosing non of them. Instead, he leaned towards her slowly, hoping she would make the slightest motion to move away.

Only she didn't.

There was only a few inches between them now. And it was Gwen who was closing them.

"Are you sure?" he asked warily.

He felt her smile against his lips.

"Absolutely not."

His arms wrapped around her as his mouth worked against hers hungrily. She was soft and warm against him, and as the seconds turned to minutes, it took everything in his power to finally pull away.

"Goodnight, Gwen." Said Perry in a hoarse voice, his fingers shaking with restraint.

"Goodnight," she answered back, placing a gentle kiss against his cheek before slipping out of the car.

When she was out of sight, he dug both hands into his hair and groaned into the steering wheel, shutting off the radio with his fist.

He had been right after all.

* * *

**A/N:** Felt so inspired for this story today. Hope you enjoy! Please R/R.

I'm trying to build the relationship between them as much as possible to make the physicality more… _sincere. _Let me know what you think.


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